Patrick Jouin is a designer whose creativity finds an expression in industrial design for the decorative arts. Patrick found a place in the landscape of international design where only few know how to evolve with both ease and strength as he does.

Hotel Plaza Athénée
A new look has been created for the bar and restaurant at the Plaza Athénée in Paris by the Jouin Manku design studio. Patrick Jouin and Sanjit Manku worked in a way similar to the great fashion designers by surrounding themselves with the most talented craftspeople to make every detail of the bar and restaurant a part of the vision.

A striking timber alcove wraps itself around a single table and creates privacy. The outside of the alcove is in unfinished timber, made of strips of curved oak joined together in a shape similar to he hull of a fishing boat. Its inner surface of moulded plaster is finished with an imprint resembling the shape of a mushroom, taken from the restaurant’s old screens that were decorated with vegetables.

The only element retained from the restaurant’s former design is the ceiling chandelier which is now reflected in the polished stainless steel domes on the floor.

The dining room is a gem-designed by Patrick Jouin and Sanjit Manku – where all is softness of curves, materials and contents. Everywhere is wonder in the remarkable quality of the pieces created with an absolute attention to every detail, a formidable representation of the craftsman’s expertise. The hand of Man at the service of Beauty transcending matter and form.

On the table, shapes from yesterday and today are joined in perfect unison. Precious materials cohabitate with the simpler objects.

These domes are an elegant twist on the traditional domed plate cover made by ‘Meilleur Ouvrier de France’ – Matinox and Atelier Pierre-Yves Le Floc’h.